The Rise of The World
by Li'l Miss May
Summary: A world of hurt. A world where a pocketknife turns into a murder weapon. This is London, a country so twisted and warped that people kill freely, a knife is a welcome presence, and dresses turn into bandages. Welcome to the Mercy Games. Good luck. Reviews accepted
1. The Beginning

Hi. I'm doing a Hunger Games story. The cities are: London, Glasgow, Dublin, Plymouth, Liverpool, Belfast, Leeds, Margate, Cork, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Paris. The main characters are: Ariana*, Rose, Jordan, Riley, Allison, Stephen, Eddy, Aidan, Kyle, and Graham. Other Characters are: Perry, Lucia, Faith, Louis, Nya, Anthony, Lily, James, Kathy, Aaron, Fiona, Jacob, Zoe, Neal, Ashley, Michael.

Family includes: Ariana: Stephanie (Mom), Nico (Dad), Thalia (Sister), Derek (Brother). Rose: Violet (Mom), Basil (Dad), Daisy (Sister), Marigold (Sister). Jordan: Gingy (Mom), Pat (Dad). Allison: Alexandra (Mom), Jared (Dad), Joseph (Cousin). Riley: Fiona (Mom), Justin (Dad), Izzy (Sister), Kelly (Sister), Hunter (Brother). Stephen: Lola (Mom), Xander (Dad). Eddy: Hallee (Mom), Jake (Dad), June (Sister). Aidan: Yvonne (Mom), Nero (Dad), Ty (Brother), Summer (Sister). Kyle: Kim (Mom), Lyle (Dad), Ariel (Sister). Graham: Tamara (Mom), Abbott (Dad).

*My character, Ariana. Nickname: Ari, Ana, Lana.

* * *

The trumpet sounded and we took off. The female tribute from Manchester, Rose, shot me a look and I ran faster, enabling myself to grab a backpack and a bow and a quiver full of arrows. Jordan, the female tribute from London, ran at the speed of lightning and was able to grab two backpacks, a bow with a quiver full of arrows, and a dagger. Michael, the guy tribute from Belfast, swiped at her, and his hand grazed the dagger. He pulled back as Ashley, the other tribute from Belfast, ran to his side. Jordan, acting on impulse, stabbed Michael with the dagger. She got him in the heart. He fell to the ground and let out a moan of pain.

"MICHAEL!" Ashley shouted, "GET UP! I-I LOVE YOU!" _Wow,_ I thought, _The star-crossed lovers from Belfast, Northern Ireland. _Rose signaled to me and I sprinted over to Jordan.

"Jordan," I said between breaths, "Do- do you want to be our ally? You'd be a nice addition to our team." I gestured to Rose and Allison, from Margate, who were out in the distance. She narrowed her eyes and I risked a gaze at Ashley and Michael. "So, what do you think?" I asked, hoping that she would say yes.

"...Fine." she said after a long pause. "What's your name? I'm Jordan, and I hope you know that we will end up killing each other anyway."

"Me? Oh, I'm Ariana." She gripped my hand with so much force I wanted to fall to the ground in agony. "Could you let go? You're, um, squeezing the utter life out of my hand." She let go. "Thanks," I said, and I grabbed her hand and dragged her towards Rose and Allison. I looked back at Ashley and Michael. She was sobbing her heart out. "Wait here," I told Jordan, "And stay on guard." She obliged.

Ashley said, "Michael! Fight for your life! P-please," her voice dropped to a whisper, "Fo-for m-me, p-please," her sentence ended in a sob. Ashley's small, petite body shook with her sobs. I saw her grab a dagger from the Horn. I still can't believe what I saw next. She sunk the dagger into her heart and staggered backwards. Her body slipped to the hard-packed dirt floor, and she died, right in front of me.

I jogged back over to where my little team of allies was. "Oh my stars!" Rose exclaimed, and I let my body be pulled into a hug. "Don't blame yourself, sweetie, she killed herself. You could've stopped her, but..." she didn't need to finish the sentence to tell me what she meant.

Jordan looked thoughtful, "Hey, Ari, it's okay. It was her choice." she said, letting her soft side come through.

"Yeah," Allison added, "No need to worry, right, you guys? Ari, it's okay. You're fine. Don't worry,"

"Jeez, you guys," I muttered, "I'm only a year younger than you, Rose, and two less than you, Jordan and Allison." I was 12, Rose 13, Jordan 14, and Allison the same age as Jordan, 14. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a boy about the same age as me, with blonde hair, green eyes, and a mischievous smirk. "Hey," I asked, "Who's that?"

"Oh, him?" Jordan said, "That's Riley, the guy tribute from my city, London." I gave him a long, hard stare, and he gave me one back.

"How old is he?" I asked. "He looks around 12."

"Yeah, he's 12. Like you. Oh... my... gosh! Do you like, like him?"

"No," I mumbled, blushing, "I don't like him. Don't jump to conclusions, Jordan. Jeez." The boy gave me a second look and he turned toward us.

"Hey, I'm Riley. And you are?" He arrived, breathless and proceeded to ask me questions.

"Ariana, I'm 12. You look 12 too." I answered. Rose smiled sweetly at me and I grimaced back. Jordan looked at me, as if to say, _Ari, form an alliance. He's cute. Just for you. _Well, I won't listen to Jordan, I thought. Even though he is cute... and funny... and sneaky... and... SNAP OUT OF IT! I chided myself. and he shot me a look.

"You okay?" he asked, looking worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, and the last thing I remembered was Riley's concerned face over mine.


	2. Splints and Confessions

Light flooded my eyes. "Whoa, my head hurts. Like, major." I said, my head aching like there was no tomorrow.

"Hey," Riley said, "That James guy smacked you in the head with his club."

"Oh, so that's why my head hurts." I said.

"Yep," Riley replied, "So, um, apparently, I am one of your, uh, allies."

I pointedly gave Jordan a look. "Well, Riley, don't you think that they should have discussed it with me FIRST?"

"Nope," Rose said happily. I sighed, and Allison looked at me. I rolled my eyes and attempted to get up, only to be subdued by the blinding pain in my head. I lay back down on the grass.

"Owww," I groaned, and then Riley pressed a cold pack on my head. It was then that I realized that I liked him. Allison and Rose stood there, surprisingly for having an ally who was hurt. Jordan lay down on the soft grass next to me. I glanced at Riley. Light blonde hair, sneaky, mischievous, emerald green eyes. Yeah, there was no denying he was cute. In some eyes, he could even be considered 'hot' or 'beautiful'. But, the super-sad thing was the fact that I would eventually have to kill him. And...

"Hey," Riley interrupted. I felt my facial features morph into irritation. "Okay, okay," he reassured me, "I'll leave you to your own, private, extremely personal thoughts."

I smiled, though faintly. My head was feeling much better, thanks to the cold pack Riley set on my head. I pulled a mirror out of my backpack and soaked my face in. My mom had always said I was pretty. Now, I was at the top of my game. Twigs in my hair, dirt smeared on my face. I was never more beautiful. The dirt brown of the twigs melded perfectly with my reddish-gold hair. My autumn-brown eyes twinkled with happiness and the joy of being alive. Steph, my mom, used to joke that if she knew how I would turn our, she would've named me Autumn. I'm glad she didn't. Ariana suits me. Yeah, that's me, Ariana Goldberg. My family has always been, and always will be, the Goldbergs. Me (Ariana), my sister Thalia, my brother Derek, Stephanie, my mom, and my dad, Nico. That was us. The Goldbergs. To tell you the truth, I didn't really get REAL schooling. One or two days, I think. Most of the time I was homeschooled by my mom. I can still read, write, do arithmetic, hunt, and farm and stuff like that. I'm not useless. I...

Rose and Allison snapped their fingers, and suddenly, I was jolted out of my thoughts. "Hey," Rose and Allison said in unison, which was quite unnerving, "Louis tried to kill Jordan, but she killed him first."

"Yeah," I said, "No mercy, right?"

"Affirmative, captain. Louis was spared no mercy." Jordan said, holding back a laugh, "I made sure of that, Ari,"

**DISTRICT 1**

"Oh, curse her! Jordan, trust none, kill all!" Pat cried, "Kill the weak one!"

"Pat..." Gingy warned, "Stop yelling at the T.V.! What are the neighbors thinking?"

"Now, Gingy," Pat said, "Calm down,"

"Then you stop yelling at the T.V.!" Gingy retorted, "And then I'll calm down,"

"Okay, fine," Pat agreed. "Let's shake on it," And so they proceeded to do so.

**THE MERCY GAMES  
** "Hey, guys!" I said hurriedly, "I just remembered: WE'RE ON T.V.!"

"Oh my gosh. I totally forgot! OH MY GOSH!" Jordan yelled.

"Shhh... Jordan, quiet down. Let's get a move on. The sun is going down. We'll work at night." I said.

Riley nodded his agreement. "Yeah, let's move; and, keep your voices down. You have been warned."

We stealthily tiptoed our way to a hideout. My head was killing me. "Ow..." I moaned quietly, "Guys, my head is killing me,"

They all turned around and went, "SHHHH!" Everyone except Riley, that is. He and I fell behind and he pressed the cold pack to my forehead again. "You okay?" he asked.

"N-never been better," I panted. My bump was throbbing, I had stubbed my toe on a tree root, and I twisted my left ankle. To top it off, I was sweating like crazy. I probably looked like a wreck. Suddenly, his lips were on mine and I didn't know what to do. I panicked. I shoved him off of me and went sprinting down in the direction Allison, Rose, and Jordan had headed. I tripped over a tree root and went down. I saw Riley behind me and I allowed myself to be picked up by him. He carried me, bridal style, and I laid back in his arms, willing myself to relax. We caught up to Jordan, Allison, and Rose. They stared at us, but I didn't care. Jordan stormed ahead and Rose and Allison followed her.

"Ari," Riley said tentatively, "Do... do... you, um, like me?" His Adam's apple bobbed up and down in his throat.

"...Yeah. I guess so." I answered back, and I could practically hear the 'aww's from the housewives watching us on T.V.

The sun finally slipped down in the sky and I prayed to Graham, that he would keep me safe. I prayed to Katniss and Peeta, so Riley and I's love would stay strong. To my mom, that she would keep Derek and Thalia safe. To my father, that he would keep my whole family safe. To Riley's family, that they stay safe. To President Woggs, that he die in Satan's palace.

Riley held my hand while the faces of the lost appeared in the night sky. Michael, Ashley, Louis, Kathy. So many had perished on that day. _Twenty-two left to go_, I thought, _Only twenty-two. Two are allowed to win, and I'll make that Riley and I. Rose, Allison, and Jordan can die. Watch me cry over their dead bodies. Honestly, they couldn't wait up?_

Suddenly, Jordan's slim figure appeared through the dense brush. "Ari," she said, "Come quick."

"But what about Riley?" I asked.

"Wake him up. Rose was stabbed by Perry, the girl tribute from the Capitol. We need your healing expertise." she replied.

"Okay." I gently shook Riley, who was asleep on my shoulder. "Riley," I whispered, "Get up. Rose is hurt."

He snapped to attention. "What? Rose is hurt? Well, so is Ari. She twisted her ankle. That's why I was carrying her. So, Lana, I guess I'll have to carry you again."

"No." I said firmly, "I want to walk. I just need to lean on you."

"Okay." he agreed. I got up and cautiously put my hand on his shoulder.

"I'll make a quick splint." Jordan said. I nodded my head and she rapidly constructed a splint made out of a piece of wood and some gauze. She put the wood against my Achilles heel and wrapped the gauze around it. It wasn't perfect, but it worked.

"Thanks, Jordan." I said, and with that we made our way to the spot where Rose was lying.


	3. Injuries

We rushed over to where Rose was lying, and I could see the gaping wound. The flesh was mangled around that area, and her blood loss count was high. It looked grotesque.

"Ew. Just ew." I said, voicing my disgust. I wanted to throw up, and my stomach agreed. I could barely hold my lunch down. The splint was killing me, digging into my skin, cutting off the circulation.

Allison nodded her head. "Yeah. It happened about a half-hour ago, Ariana."

"Oh, god, oh, god, oh, god, oh, god, I am going to throw up. I swear on Katniss and Peeta, I am about to throw up." I groaned.

"Wait!" Riley exclaimed, "I have an idea. Ari, take the gauze off and put it on Rose's cut."

"Okay." I replied, and then took the gauze off. I wrapped around Rose's stomach area, where the wound was.

"Next," Riley directed. I started to hallucinate.

"Oh, god, no, god, god, god, god, god! No, no, no, no, no! Tracker Jacker venom! God, no, no, no! Riley!" I whispered urgently, "I was stung by a Tracker Jacker! I'm hallucinating!"

He turned around. "WHAT?"

"You heard me! Tracker Jacker venom! My cheek's swelling up!" I whisper-yelled.

Jordan overheard me. "Tracker Jackers? Here? Not good, oh, god, oh, god, oh, god!"

**EDINBURGH- DISTRICT 12**

"Oh, no! Good god! Poor Ari!" Graham yelled.

"Shh... Graham, you'll wake up Thals. And Derek, too. Keep your voice down." Stephanie silenced Graham.

"It's... just... oh, POOR ARI!" Graham howled.

"GRAHAM! QUIET DOWN!" Nico shouted, "THALS IS ALREADY CRYING, THANKS TO YOU! YOU'RE SCARING THEM!"

"S-sorry, Mr. G. I didn't mean to. I just get caught up in the Games, and poor Ari." Graham apologized.

"Well, Graham, we all do. 'Specially this year, since our Lana's in it." Nico said.

**THE MERCY GAMES **Rose sat up groggily. "Hey, guys, how ya been?" she asked.

"Well, just fine. Absolutely fine. Marvelous. Perfect. Splendid. Just divine." I said, laying on the sarcasm thick.

"Ignore her," Riley said, "She's all bitter because her ankle hurts."

"Hey, what happened?" Rose asked, "I want to know the truth." Her eyes were blazing, like we had a freaking clue to what happened.

"Okay, okay," Jordan agreed, and we proceeded to tell her what had happened.


	4. Killings and the Capitol

Jordan was hanging over my head. "Heyyy," she said, "Ariana! Get up!"

"Okay, okay," I mumbled. "Just... just five more minutes... please?" My head was still pounding, my ankle still throbbed, and I was still having wicked hallucinations.

"No! We have to go! Like, _now_!" Jordan yelled.

"God, you're gonna wake the whole arena! Quiet down, Jor!" I screeched.

"No, it's you who's gonna wake the arena!" Jordan yelled back. "Plus, Rose... Rose's dead. So I'm stressed, 'kay? One of my best friends died, so shut up, and get your lousy butt outta bed!"

"Okay, okay," I whined, "Where's Riley?"

Riley popped up from behind Jordan. "Right here, Ari! Mornin'!"

I groaned. "How do you get so perky in the morning? Oh, my God, it's like, five-thirty."

He smiled. "Ha-ha, very funny. Let's get a move on!"

"'Kay..." I climbed out of my sleeping bag and started to gather the supplies. Suddenly, an orange streak passed by me. Jacob, a Margate tribute. Allison's partner. It finally dawned on me. "Where's Allison?"

"She joined the Capitol." The Capitol was the nickname for the tributes in Districts 1-7. Jordan gestured towards a crude piece of bark, on which were the words, "Joined the Capitol -Allison."

"Why, that little piece of-" I started to say, but was cut off by Riley, who said, "Ari, language."

"Sorry," I replied meekly. I leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He blushed.

"Ari," he complained. Jordan smiled, and then returned to packing up our camp.

I pulled out my robin pin, given to me by my best friend, Graham. I smiled as the memory flooded back to me. I was eight, he was twelve. It was my birthday. Graham had blushed as he gave it to me. He...

"Ari! Hello, anyone in there?" Jordan yelled, and then gave me knuckles.

"Oww, you knuckle-punch too hard!" I yelled.

"C'mon, let's move! Ari, do I have to kiss you? Let's go!" Riley was raring to go.

"God, okay." I slipped among the trees, leaving Jordan and Riley behind. I silently padded up a tree. I looked back. They were looking around for me. As they passed under my tree, I roared and jumped on Riley.

"AHHH!" Riley yelled. I smirked.

"Scared ya, didn't I?" Jordan stifled a laugh. I jumped off of Riley's back. "God, you shoulda seen the look on your face! Sorry," I added as an afterthought. "I seriously am. I was aiming for the ground, not your back."

Riley rubbed his back. "Ow," he said, "That hurt,"

"Will this make it better?" I asked, and then gave him a heart-stopping kiss on the lips.

"Uh, yeah. What do you think?" Riley smiled.

"I know, right?" I said. "Wakes you up fine," Riley snickered.

We continued on our way to our new camp. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we found the spot. Secluded from view, the camp had dry brush, shade from the trees, and, it had a brook nearby. The only problem? The Capitol had parked themselves down in our spot. "Um, hello? This is our spot." I said loudly with a touch of meanness. "Now, since that's cleared, could you move?"

"Um, no, sweetie. We called this spot," Allison said.

"You good-for-nothing traitor! You betrayed us and Rose died! You don't deserve to live! Allison, you're just a Capitol. A bloodthirsty Capitol who needs to kill others for satisfaction. Now, I demand you move or things will get u-g-l-y, ugly. And not like your face. Like, bloody. Like your betraying ways." I yelled.

The other Capitols hissed and jeered. "Ohhh, burrrn!"

Allison yelled, "Shuddup! You guys are twits! You have the nerve to laugh at your comrade!"

The Capitol shrugged. "Yeah, we do, we do!"

Allison stomped away in anger. "UUURRRHHHH! OHHH MYYY GOOODDDDDDDD!"

I snickered. "That was priceless. Now, can we have our spot?" I said, directing my attention to the Capitol.

"No, little girl," Perry, the Capitol tribute, said. She gave a sickly sweet smile. "Go away,"

"Umm, nooo, why would you think we would go away? Just Poof, begone, witch! Not happening. Not at all," I replied.

Riley stepped forward. "Yeah, just go, and no one gets hurt."

"Awwww," Perry cooed, "The wittle boy thinks he can outwit the big pweople. Well, you can't, wittle boy, you can't."

Jordan stepped forward also. "Perry, nice to see ya. I'm 'fraid you'll have to go, though."

"Oh, Jor, not happening, as the little girl said. Why don't you join us? We're _sooo_ much better than them. Like, we'll _always_ be better."

"How 'bout we let our weapons do the talking, huh, Perry? I mean, if your bragging about how good you are with a spear is true, then why don't you show it? Let's prove that we can fight!" I retorted. I pulled out my knife and prepared to fight. Perry shrunk away and backed into Jordan, who shoved a knife into her chest, and BAM! Just like that, she was dead. Jordan pulled the knife out of her chest and stabbed it into another Capitol's chest, pulled it out again and repeated the act. Soon, all of the Capitol was dead.

"Wow, Jor, nice moves," I said. I set my backpack down and laid down on the grass, listening to the gurgling sounds of the brook.

Riley laid down next to me and we watched the clouds float by in the sky. "Wow, that was intense,"

"Uh-huh," I wasn't really listening. "I so agree."

"Huh?" Riley looked confused.

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention," I said.

"Oh, look, a bunny rabbit!"

"No, it's a snowman wearing a top hat!"

"HEY!" Jordan bellowed. "SOME HELP OVER HERE!"

"SORRY!" I bellowed back, "KINDA BUSY HERE!"

"FINE, FLIRT WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND!"

"'KAY, I WILL! THANKS!"

Jordan sighed and rolled her eyes. Then, she tensed. Something was wrong. I could tell.


	5. Break Ups and Un Make Ups

I tensed, too. Something was wrong. It was like a person was crouching in the bushes. Riley's body went slack.

"Who the heck did that? Come out NOW!" I yelled, then beckoned at Jordan to come over.

**DISTRICT 12 - EDINBURGH **

"Ah," Graham said, "There's our Ari's telltale temper tantrum warning sign number 1."

"Yup," Nico said, "A storm's 'bout to blow through, and it ain't here. It's there." He said, pointing at Ariana on the screen.

"Ari!" Thalia yelled. "Sissy Ari! Good wuck!"

"Thals," Stephanie said, "Ari's playing on the screen now, 'kay? So don't bother her."

"Okay," Thalia agreed.

**THE MERCY GAMES**

"Ohhh myy god! Who did that? I have a knife and I know how to use it. Beware. Oh, and my comrade here, not the one you knocked out, thank you, killed the entire Capitol. Do you have the drug or whatever to like, wake him up? 'Cause he's my boyfriend, and I'm kinda worried about him. So if you'd gladly step out of the bushes here, we'd be golden." I yelled.

The person stepped out of the bushes. Eddy, Rose's other tribute, the one from Manchester. Jordan gasped and hid her face. "Hello, Jordan," he said, his coal-black eyes gleaming.

"Go away, jerk." Jordan said. She looked like she was crying.

"Jordan. Tell. Him. To. Give. My. Boyfriend. The. Freakin'. Antidote. I need Riley to be awake. This is a matter of life or death. I love him and my heart will break if he doesn't get the antidote! Please, Jordan!" I yelled. I turned to Eddy. "Give me the antidote. My friend here is heavily armed and I am NOT afraid to strike."

"Ari," she said. _Oh, great_, I thought, _they're probably a couple or something. This is PERFECT! _"Eddy here's my boyfriend."

"How do I predict these kinda things?" I screamed at the sky. I turned to Jordan. "Beg him for the antidote. Please, my boyfriend's life is on the line."

A sharp wind blew past my cheek. I shuddered. "Oh, and if your boyfriend is going to stay here, then he should've brought a sleeping bag. If you didn't, you're going to have to cuddle with Jordan here. It'll probably be cramped and stuff. Good luck! You two can make a little group over" -I pointed north- "there! Before you go, though, give me the stuff that makes Riley better." Eddy gave me a small vial filled with a honey-like substance. "Thanks! You can go now!"

After they had left, I rushed over to Riley. "Hey, get up."

He rubbed his eyes groggily. "What'd I miss?"

"A lot, actually. I'll give you the short version. You were shot by something, here's the antidote. You just drank it."

"Ew," he shuddered.

"And," I continued, "Jordan has a boyfriend. And he's staying with us." I heard a shriek of laughter come from Jordan's mouth.

"Great," Riley said sarcastically. "This is perfect."

"I know, right?" I replied, letting sarcasm seep into my voice. A bell rang. The signal for when a tribute died. "Riley," I asked, "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, that might've been Jor. What should we do?" Riley snapped into action and we ran towards the giddy couple. By the time we arrived, I was panting, winded from the long run. Jordan lay on the ground. Riley bent down and checked her pulse. "Nothing. She's gone, Ana."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. The wind whipped around us, shaking the trees, and blowing my red hair around. Riley ran a hand through his hair. A haunting melody whistled its way through my head. The song twisted in and out. Then, I realized, every time and ally was killed, the song echoed through my head. When Rose died, it worked its way into my dream. And now. When Jordan died, a piece of my heart left. We were so close, and she was just... gone. Like that. Like Perry wanted it to happen.

"Hello, earth to Ari?" Riley asked. I was jolted back to reality by the sound of his voice and the harsh wind, still whipping around us.

"Yeah?" My voice sounded distant and far away, like a wall was between us.

"Snap out of it!" Suddenly (and without warning), Riley smacked my cheek.

"Owww," I moaned, rubbing my sore cheek. The wind wasn't helping at all. "It stings!"

"It's supposed to. I thought you were gonna black out on me there!" Riley exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure, I was out of it for a _second_, but you didn't have to _SLAP_ me! It really does hurt! And I'll tell ya, the wind ain't helping!"

"God. Sorry." Riley spun on his heel and walked away. He was so ticked. Seriously, anyone could tell. But I needed to get my empathy on. I thought of how I felt when he got hit with the poison-dart thingy, tranquilizer, whatever it was.

"RILEY!" I bellowed after him. He didn't acknowledge that I had just yelled his name.

**DISTRICT 12 - EDINBURGH**

"Why is Ari all teenagery?" asked Nico.

"Nico, we've gone over this. Ari is a teenager. It is in a teenager's nature to be like that." Stephanie scolded.

Thalia waved her arms up and down. "ARI TWEENAGAH! ARI TWEENAGAH!"

"Thalia, quiet down. Derrie's sleeping." Stephanie chided her two-year-old daughter.

Derek heard the commotion and woke up, crying his little heart out. Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Derek, quiet down. Mommy, Daddy, and Thals are watching T.V."

Derek nodded an OK. "Now go back to sleep, Derek."

"Nah!" Derek protested. "Nah! Nah! Nah! Nah!"

"Derek, back to bed. NOW." Stephanie said, her patience wearing thin.

"'Kay, 'Kay, 'Kay!" Derek chirped. He laid back down on the goose-feather comforter and fell immediately back asleep.

"Now that that's over..." Stephanie said, turning back to the T.V., which was easy to see in the dimly lit room.

**THE MERCY GAMES**

I stood in the spot Riley had been last. My thoughts were all tangled up. Unfortunately, there was no Riley to snuggle up to this time. _6 people left_, I thought, _including me and Riley. Only four people to go. Easy peasy. Easy killings. _But I can't do it! My mind fought with itself. _Yes, you can. Just a stab._ But I'm killing a living thing! I'll never forgive myself. _You wanna end up like Jordan here?_ No. _Then I suggest you shut up and listen to me, bub. You gotta kill these people, Ari, _said the devious side of my brain. The good part of my brain mumbled, You can't. You'll never forgive yourself. You're going to kill innocent people who have been forced into killing each other. You're not a murderer. You're a healer, Ari. Go ahead, choose. _Yeah! You betta choose me! We'll make the perfect tag team. You and me, we'll kill 'em easily! _Sorry, bad side, I thought, Score One for the angel-thing.

"Riley?" I whispered to the empty woods, the leaves falling. The smell of autumn was permanently lodged up my nose. "Riley?" I said in a normal voice level. "RILEY?" I screeched, knowing he wouldn't answer. Suddenly, Riley's face loomed above me. I hadn't realized my knees had sunk to the leaves.

"What's wrong, Ari?" he asked worriedly. I stared at him. It had only been minutes since I last saw him, but it had seemed like an eternity. _Is this what true love feels like?_ I thought. I crumpled to the forest floor and started wheezing. _God_, I thought, _I'm probably the sickest kid in the arena right now. _My throat hurt and my head throbbed. The world had started to blur...


	6. Haunting Melodies and Hanging Trees

I woke up with a jolt. It felt like I had been deep-fried, then tossed in a pit for hungry bears to enjoy. Every bone in my body ached.

I looked towards the empty woods for a flicker, just a flicker, of life. Nothing. Of course. The tracker jackers were sedated by the wind, and Riley was nowhere to be seen. Nowhere. At. All. "RILEY?" God, why did he have to desert me now? When I need him most? "RILEY?"

Riley appeared by my side, as swift as the wind blowing harshly across my sore face. "It hurts," I whimpered.

"I know, I know."

**EDINBURGH - DISTRICT 12**

"No daughter of mine will date that desertin' scumbag." Nico said gruffly.

"Nico!" Stephanie whispered, "Shh! We are _trying_ to watch, and you're _not_ helping!"

Thalia clapped her hands, effectively pulling Derek from the realm of sleep. Derek started to cry.

**THE MERCY GAMES**

"I want to help you hunt," I said, a few days later. My wounds were healing up, and I wanted to exercise. I was raring to go.

"You aren't healthy enough."

"Well, then what is healthy? You're not in tiptop shape either, now are you?"

"No."

"We're in the same condition. Let me go. I'm a good shot. Please?" Pleading had crept into my voice.

"Fine. Stay close, though."

"Yess." I hissed. I silently walked in between trees, allowing myself 10 yards of hunting range. The leaves didn't make a sound underneath the rubber sole of my shoe.

A rabbit flashed by, and I felt a twinge of guilt as the arrow took down the animal. This was a living thing I had just killed. I had killed a living thing. I shook away my guilt and bent down to pick up the beast. Yes. In the eye. A clean shot. I swung the rabbit over my shoulder and continued on my way. Two more rabbits, a deer, a couple small wild birds. A pretty good hunt. I turned around and trudged back to camp. Riley was already there, plenty of edible plants at hand.

"What'd you get?" he asked.

"Three rabbits, a deer, two small wild turkeys. Whatever," I answered.

"Good." The fire was roaring. After cooking all the meat and saving some for later, I sat down to think. The melody came to mind. I started humming it, thinking about the games. How I hate them. How they're televised. How we're entertainment. We aren't important, only to our families. Paris laughs and jeers. We aren't special. We're here to serve one purpose: entertainment. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. Words came to me.

Riley drifted off, that I was sure of. His breathing was steady. He looked relaxed.

I started singing. The words just... came to me, if that makes sense.

"I remember tears streaming down your face..."

And on from there. The birds fell silent about halfway through the song. Birds, deer, and rabbits stopped and listened. Even the dead animal carcasses seemed to prick up their ears. On the last note, Riley awoke and the song coming from my mouth died off.

"I heard you singing." Riley said. "I wasn't really asleep."

I blushed. "It was nothing."

"Everything stopped and listened, Ariana. You have a gift,"

"No, I don't!" My voice echoed throughout the forlorn woods. "It was nothing,"

"You can rebel! You can stop this madness! The madness of the Mercy Games!"

"No, I can't! I'm nothing but a tool!"

"I'm telling you, you have a gift! So use it!"

"I don't have a gift! And even if I did, I wouldn't use it so I could get murdered!"

"I would use it. I know I would. Ariana, use your gift!"

"I don't have one!"

"Yes, you do! You just can't get it through your thick head that you do!"

"I'm stubborn; your point is?"

"You have a gift! Use the freaking gift God gave you!"

"I don't have a gift and I don't go to church."

"Who cares! You can do great things, Aria! Get it into your brain!"

"I don't care; I don't have a gift; and I certainly do NOT have a thick head!"

Riley did a face-palm. "You do. Think of Rose. Jordan. Michael. Ashley. Everyone. Do you want to see them suffer like that?"

"They're already dead, Riley." I said coldly.

"YOU HAVE A GIFT! USE IT TO STOP THESE GAMES!"

A whirring sound could be heard in the background. A hovercraft appeared and took Riley away. Along with my heart.


End file.
